Norman Yakeleya

According to some of the geologists and some of the preliminary work that’s been done in the Sahtu and the Sahtu Canol shale play, the similarities to the Sahtu Canol shale play is similar to the Bakken fields in North Dakota or Eagle Ford in Texas. The Bakken fields in North Dakota are estimated at about 20 billion barrels of oil. That’s a similar type of play that’s going to happen in the Sahtu, again, depending on more work that has to be done.

I want to ask the Minister, is his department looking at some special considerations in terms of the infrastructure for the Sahtu, if that type of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to recognize a former colleague, Mr. Krutko, in the gallery. I also recognize the hard work of the NWT Tourism that had a great display in Ottawa. Thank you very much. Also the crew from Mackenzie Delta, Joe and wife Lisa and my former schoolmate at Samuel Hearne Topsy Cockney, and Ms. Jenni Bruce from Tsiigehtchic, and the Chief Lloyd Chicot from Kakisa.

Thank you, Mr. Minister, for the update for the people in the Sahtu. I want to ask about the staffing and the positions of the Sahtu long-term care facility.

Are there plans underway to work with his colleagues to look at some of these positions that would be in this facility, and what type of training opportunities will be there for the people of the Northwest Territories to take advantage of once this facility is open?

When is that facility scheduled to be opened and operational for the people of the North and for the people of the Sahtu?

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize David Krutko also, a former Member of the House.

If the Minister could look at that with his colleague and find ways that it’s possible for our hunters and trappers to be covered under that structure of pricing, then it would be greatly appreciated by hunters and trappers that they would buy their fuel at a reduced cost. It costs quite a bit to operate a trapline in our communities. If the Minister could look at that once again, I would appreciate it.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to the Minister of PWS, the Minister responsible for petroleum products. In the last session I asked the Minister if he would look at some way that would help out the hunters and trappers with the pricing of fuel in our small communities. I want to ask the Minister if he had done some research as to if that’s possible to give a break to the trappers and hunters in the small communities on the pricing of their fuel.

Can the Minister inform me as to the training plan, training requirements that would be needed for this long-term care facility, and if he’s working with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment as to the possibility of formalizing a training plan that would allow the people in the Sahtu to take advantage and maybe require some of our students to upgrade to enter into a specific type of training for this facility? Can the Minister inform me that he’s working with his colleague to then work with the Sahtu leadership on a training plan for this facility?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about some of the elders that have passed away in the Sahtu. Even more sadly, these elders that passed away, passed away outside of their communities, in Yellowknife, and it was very hard in the last days of their lives for family to come and receive any last messages from these elders.

I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services for a status update as to the proposed long-term care facility in the Sahtu. People in the Sahtu would like to see that facility up and running so we do not have to send our elders outside of the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to welcome all my colleagues back to session here. Throughout the years as a Member, we as MLAs get invited to functions and celebrations. We also get invited to other events that are sometimes not so celebratory, such as funerals and wakes.

I want to rise today to talk about the specific losses that we’ve had in the Sahtu. I’ve heard from our other colleagues of some of the people they lost in their ridings. For example, up in the Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Frank Firth, a good friend of mine that passed away in Fort McPherson, or the pilot for whom we just had a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like the Minister to look at another word we should scrap, if possible, out of our dictionary and look at the possibilities. Possibly look at all the different types of avenues as to how to help our trappers and hunters in our communities where the price is extraordinarily high for them. We encourage traditional economies. I’d ask the Minister if he would possibly look at the possibilities that this government can do to help our hunters and trappers.